Page 86 of The Broken Elf King
SIXTEEN
I had learned from my aunt’s escape that dresses were not convenient to wear when doing nefarious things. I donned one of Raife’s black suede trousers and the shortest, smallest tunic of his I could find, which was still pretty large on me. I was pretty crappy with a bow, but better with a sword, so I strapped that onto my waistbelt and then met the Bow Men lining up by the dozens outside the stables.
When I reached Cahal, he took a long look at my outfit but said nothing.
“How many do we have in all?” I motioned to the Bow Men and Archmere citizens that were being given weapons and conscripted to fight.
“Two hundred fifty,” Cahal said.
Half of what the queen had. I remembered a line fromTheNature of Warthen and it gave me an idea.
Play to your strengths.
“Take fifty of your best Bow Men and hide them in the trees of the Narrow Valley. We can funnel her men in and take out at least a hundred men before they can retreat.”
Cahal grinned. “Yes, my queen.” He turned and started to gather up men and I swallowed hard.
The Nature of Waralso said,Out of all the things you do to be ready for war, inspiring your army is the most important.
I’d have to give a speech.
With the help of two Bow Men, I stood on the back of my horse and put two fingers in my mouth, letting out a big whistle.
The murmurs stopped, and everyone turned to look at me, causing the nerves to burn in my stomach.
Stay calm. Inspire them.
“Queen Zaphira waited until our king was gone before she attacked!” I snarled. “That tells me that she’s afraid of his leadership. She thinks we are weak without Raife Lightstone. Are you weak?” I asked.
Murmurs.
“Are you WEAK!?” I cried.
Screams responded with a respondingno!
“She has no idea what she’s just walked into! No idea the shitstorm we are about to fling her way. I will die bloody on that battlefield before I give one inch of elvin land to that monster!” Spittle flew from my mouth as I bellowed across the entire field.
The men went insane then, screaming and waving their weapons in the air with grimaces.
“Let’s ride!” I called, and then allowed the Bow Men to help me down.
“Shitstorm?” Cahal was back and grinning at me.
I shrugged. “It’s a human expression, I guess. Let’s go be her worst nightmare,” I told him, and he spurred his horse as we rode off to war.
* * *
We allowedthe queen to smash through the east wall. Her army trampled a few of the outlying farms, including the one with the yellow barn, but nothing we couldn’t recover from. The most talented of the Bow Men were currently hiding in the trees that flanked the Narrow Valley. The Narrow Valley led to the most populated part of Archmere and the castle. Our civilian volunteers had soaked the dry grasses in alcohol at my request, and now we waited. Part of me couldn’t believe this was happening, and the other part of me was running on instinct.
Remain calm.
I could freak out later. I had a war to win and a people to protect. Raife’s people—my people too. I might be a fake queen in Raife’s eyes but I loved this land, the land of my father, and I would not let it fall to the queen of Nightfall on my watch.
A messenger on horseback rode towards where we were stationed at the end of the Narrow Valley and I braced myself for his report.
“The queen’s army rides this way!” he yelled. “She’s sent some of her army through the Narrow Valley but most around it. She suspects an ambush.”
I nodded. I’d prepared for this. Any smart woman would know that if you went through a valley between two large hills filled with trees, it could be a trap.
